I just wanted to thank you for teaching us how to make our work better. I know you must get discouraged from time to time but I want to assure you that your efforts are not in vain. Several of your recent posts have opened my eyes and have made me really think about how I can take my work to the next level.

You shook my confidence to the core but then helped me to understand how I can grow.

I remember a couple of months ago you were talking about how everyone draws big cats the way Disney's did. Now that I've seen this gal's Tiger, and realizing how different you can draw the same creature, I finally understand what you were talking about.

Her work is lovely, but I am surprised that you're using it as an example of following the principles that you talk about, John. There is a symmetry to several of these, with the focal point being dead centre in the picture. Normally, I'd think this would be considered poor composition, though I can see that in Joy's case, her decision to do this has been quite deliberate for a specific effect.

For example, in that first painting, there is a mirror effect from left to right, with the boy and girl equally spaced on either side of the centre line, as well as the identical anteaters bookending the entire scene. Likewise, the sunbeams radiate towards the centre point, mirroring the direction of the train trestle. The other painting with the umbrellas is also composed symmetrically, though again quite deliberately by the artist.

Again, I'm not being critical of these paintings, as I understand that the absolute symmetry has been deliberately intended by the artist for a specific (perhaps spiritual) look, but I do wonder why you are using them to illustrate principles of composition when these appear to go against the general rule.